CQU steers European micro-credential project down under
As a forerunner in the development of micro-credentials in Australia, CQUniversity is partnering with three universities in Europe to explore the viability of short courses to bridge skills gaps for disadvantaged groups.
CQUniversity has joined with University of Limerick in Ireland, LUMSA in Italy and Inland Norway University of Applied Science in the project Learning to Learn Through Micro-Credentials in a Regional Setting (L2L MicroCred).
Project lead at CQUniversity and Dean of the School of Education and the Arts Professor Stephen Dobson said not everyone, especially those disadvantaged by gender, age, prior education or disability, was in a position to enrol in larger reskilling or upskilling qualifications.
However, he believes short accessible qualifications in the form of micro-credentials could hold the answers to the challenges of connecting these groups with education and training.
“In recent years, micro-credentials have received an increasing amount of attention, both in Australia, and the rest of the world,” Prof Dobson explained.
“An important political ambition is for micro-credentials to be a useful and dynamic tool for working life, contributing to inclusion and employment and, not least, gives employees a formal recognition that can be used across workplaces or educational institutions.
“A challenge with micro qualifications so far is that they have been primarily used by those who already have a higher education qualification, and not the groups who may need them the most.”
Prof Dobson said another challenge was how micro-credentials would be implemented as building blocks in educational institutions, side-by-side with existing studies.
“Many nations in the world do not currently have a national policy or framework on how to develop and place a value on micro-credentials,” he explained.
“The L2L MicroCred project hopes to address these challenges, and in the process, strengthen the work ability and motivation of vulnerable groups.”
L2L MicroCred is a two-year Erasmus+ project which requires each partner organisation to work with disadvantaged groups in their country to co-develop and trial one open access micro-credential.
These micro-credentials will aim to strengthen life skills, increase employability, promote social inclusion and increase motivation in participants.
“The university collaborators are committed to developing high-quality training that is relevant to communities and is scalable so that they can be adapted and used by educational institutions worldwide," Prof Dobson said.
“Courses will be available to all, at no cost, to ensure that no one is excluded due to financial constraints.”
